Southeast is a tremendously varied place, from the island archipeligo of Indonesia and the Philippines, to the landlocked nation of Burma. Modern city states like Singapore and Malaysia to backwaters like Laos.

I travelled to many of the more accessible destinations when I lived in Hong Kong, often for just a three day weekend, as well as on business. My friends and I were Asia hands, backpacking through backwaters well before Leonardo made them famous to people further afield.

On this trip, I wanted to focus on those places I missed or did not get a chance to fully explore on a short getaway.

Vietnam proved to be a bit of a disappointment, much too touristy given my taste for something really off the beaten path. But Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) more than made up for that. I only regret that I did not have time to go to Laos, which other backpackers raved about.

But the temple ruins of Angkor Wat and Bagan in Myanmar offered solitude and mystique which I could still explore on my own, no tour guides, few tour buses, and total independence to wander alone.

I spent a full week exploring both sites at my leisure, renting a bike or moped to get around.

Before that I spent a few days around my old haunts of Singapore and Hong Kong, catching up with a lot of old friends who still live there. It was a trip back in time for me, revisiting a place where I came of age as a young expat in 1993.

India offered a chance to delve into the spiritual side of the second most populous nation in the world. The Buddhist tradition of Asia spilled over into India, where Gautama Siddartha actually gained enlightenment.

By far the most captivating area for me was the Himalayas, specifically Nepal, where I spent a glorious 26-days trekking the Annapurna Circuit, out of touch with the world and surrounded by the timeless 8,000 m granite peaks.